| Author |
Message |
Greg
Registered user
Username: Greg
Post Number: 90
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 7:46 pm: |     |
Blacksheep, it's OK to have questions. In my own experience, I've had many questions--central questions--about God, whether he exists, whether the Bible is true, why Jesus needed to die, what his death really accomplished, etc. Keep asking those questions, because there are answers. Don't give up on God. He is faithful and will see you through! It sounds like a cliche, but it is true.
I'm glad you are here, and I will be praying for you.
Greg |
Flyinglady
Registered user
Username: Flyinglady
Post Number: 1235
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 8:17 pm: | |
Blacksheep, Please let us be your support system. You are not alone any longer. It is okay here to express your doubts/questions about God, the Bible, what you grew up with in the SDA church. As Greg says there are answers. God has not given up on you, so please do not give up on Him. He did not bring you this far to drop you. He has you in His awesome hands and will carry you until you are ready to stand, but He will never leave you alone.
Diana |
Flyinglady
Registered user
Username: Flyinglady
Post Number: 1236
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 8:26 pm: | |
PS: Blacksheep, I have added your name to my prayer list.
Father in Heaven, I bring another of your children to you in prayer. You know what this person has been through so much better than any of us. You know his doubts, his questions, and his emotions. You know how to heal him. And God I am asking that you give him that spiritual healing that only You can give. Send the Holy Spirit to teach him the truths in the Bible about you. Thank you for holding him in your hands until he can stand on his own. And God I know you will never leave him alone. Thank you for bringing us this brother in Christ. You are awesome God.
Diana |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 1640
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 9:16 pm: | |
Blacksheep, welcome to the forum. You are in a place where we can identify with your doubts, fears, guilt, and aloneness.
Feel free to ask questions and make comments. You might also try praying that God will show you what is real and help you to recognize truth. He is faithful!
I will also be praying for you!
Colleen |
Chris
Registered user
Username: Chris
Post Number: 743
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 7:07 am: | |
Blacksheep, Adventism was my whole life and I believed all of it 100%. When I finally had to admit that much of it was founded on error and continued in error, it felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. To be honest, the rug analogy doesn't capture what I felt. It was more like the whole floor caved in and then the foundation of house fell into a sink hole and I was being sucked in with it. It was devestating. I questioned a lot of things. After all, if I couldn't trust everything I had believed my whole life, how could I trust anything at all?
I think this is normal. I think this questioning and searching is part of the healing process. There were a number of books that were very helpful to me during my time of searching and discovery. Obviously the Bible was the book that opened my eyes more than any other book, but I had some questions about the Bible itself and needed to research it a little.
Having gone through this, I can whole heartedly recommend to you The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. Lee was a journalist for the Chicago Tribune who set out to prove Christianity wrong when, much to his dismay, his wife became a Christian. He set out on a crusade to investigate and disprove the claims of Christianity such as the reliability of the Bible, the claims of Jesus, and the reality of the resurrection.
The Case for Christ recreates Lee's investigation and examines the arguments for and against the central tenants of the Christian faith. I believe this book may help you with many of your questions. It's an easy, accessible read, can be picked up cheaply in paperback, and is even on the shelf at many public libraries.
Blacksheep, I welcome you to FAF and hope to hear more from you in the near future. May the Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, bless and guide you on this journey.
Chris |
Blacksheep
Registered user
Username: Blacksheep
Post Number: 3
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 5:49 pm: | |
Thank you, all of you for your warm welcome and thoughts and prayers. I still feel as tho maybe I don't belong here, and so I will post when I am comfortable to do so, and if you don't see much of me, Just know that I am lurking!! I will find the book, Chris. I have not heard of it. Reading is partly what got me in this mess.Ha! |
Riverfonz
Registered user
Username: Riverfonz
Post Number: 66
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 7:36 pm: | |
Blacksheep, It is not by accident that you have been directed to this site. I believe it is by divine appointment that you are here. This is a great support forum. You will not be ridiculed for expressing your doubts. I like what Bob said above, that this is the typical reaction for people getting out of cults. I would also like to recommend the book "Case for Christ", by Stroebel, as this is one of the clearest books written on why we can base our faith on fact instead of fiction. Welcome Blacksheep, Stan |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 1648
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 11:44 pm: | |
Blacksheep, I also recommend "Case for Christ". It is clear, objective, well-researched--very powerful. Please do not feel that your doubts will be trivialized or resented here.
Colleen |
Helovesme2
Registered user
Username: Helovesme2
Post Number: 138
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 8:54 am: | |
Welcome Blacksheep!
Glad you're here! And don't worry about having questions and not feeling like you belong. God meets us where we are and immensely patient!
Riverfons and Colleen,
Is "The Case for Christ" written by the same author as "The Case for the Creator"? Sounds like a book I'd like to read!
helovesme2
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Chris
Registered user
Username: Chris
Post Number: 754
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 9:06 am: | |
Yes, Strobel has written a series of books using the same format. As a legal reporter he drew on his background and wrote these books like a developing court case. He basically serves as the prosecutor against Christian belief, while various experts in their fields serve as expert witnesses for the defense. It's an engaging format.
The first in the series is The Case for Christ, followed by The Case for Faith, and finally The Case for the Creator.
I haven't read the last one, but I've used the first two for two book clubs/discusion groups aimed at new believers and seekers. They are both excellent for providing a foundational look at the Christian faith and answering frequently asked questions or concerns.
Chris |
Blacksheep
Registered user
Username: Blacksheep
Post Number: 6
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 8:09 pm: | |
Thank you again for more warm welcomes. I been doing alot of reading on here, it will take me a while to get thru it! I got to get me to a book store to see those books. Oh, Flyinglady, I am of female gender. How could you have known??!! Thankyou for your prayers. |
Flyinglady
Registered user
Username: Flyinglady
Post Number: 1254
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 8:40 pm: | |
Blacksheep,
SORRY!!! If I do not know the gender, I usually put she/he. After I wrote the prayer and posted it I thought I should have done that, but it was to late. I won't make that mistake again, I will make another.
Anyway, Welcome again and keep coming back.
You are safe here.
Diana |
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